Argument In Growing Aging

Finding a Voice Growing older is compulsory, while growing up is optional. One can begin to grow up at five years old while another begins at fifty. Some argue against this, but there is no doubt that experience and surroundings are the major contributing factors that determine when someone grows up, as well as who they become. Three lessons that are inherent in growing up are challenging one’s conditioning, finding a voice, and coping with betrayal.
Growing up involves challenging conditioning and finding which path is right for you rather than having someone else choose for you. When children are growing up, they begin to question whether the beliefs and morals they have lived by their entire lives are really their own beliefs. They begin
Once people begin to challenge their beliefs, they choose to either stand up for what they think is right or they can take the safe road and, as Pam says, “convince (themselves) that (they) can make it work because (they) need it to” (Faxon, Rash 100). When children speak out for what they believe is right or wrong, it shows that they have developed a mind of their own, rather than the one that was implanted by their elders. Through a series of experiences, people learn what really matters to them personally, instead of assuming that what others care about are the correct things to care about. Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis took a stand against what she believed was wrong, even if her “right to religious liberty (had) been grossly violated” as a result (Huckabee 1). Similarly, Antigone took a stand against what she believed was a crime against humanity, while her sister, Ismene, took the safe way out and would not defy the unjust laws, for “(she) has no strength for that ” (Antigone 4). A major part of growing up and maturing is realizing what really matters yourself, and from there, standing up when others try to bring you back down again. Both Kim Davis and Antigone spoke out for their cause, and defied the laws that they found to be faulty. On the other hand, Ismene and Pam from The Way Way Back hid behind the comfort of familiarity, even though they were equally aware of how unjust the morals behind their actions were. Finding your voice and standing up for your beliefs is a major part of growing